# Hermann Schleinhege

Hermann Schleinhege (21 February 1916 – 11 March 2014) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Schleinhege was credited with 97 aerial victories, all on the Eastern Front.

## Career

Schleinhege was born on 21 February 1916 in Essen in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. He joined the Luftwaffe before the war and upon completing his training, in February 1941, served as a flight instructor. In April 1942, he was transferred as an Unteroffizier to 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 Grünherz (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing), at the time stationed near Leningrad. On 15 May, Schleinhege damaged his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummer 8618—factory number) during takeoff at Lyuban.

### With the Geschwaderstab of JG 54

After Schleinhege's transfer to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters flight) of JG 54, he began flying as wingman to the unit commanders, including Hannes Trautloft, Hubertus von Bonin (78 victories) and Anton Mader (86 victories), gaining valuable experience. Flying with the Geschwaderstab, he crashed Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe B-1 (Werknummer 3576) near Oryol on 9 July. By the end of the year when they were based in Orsha with Army Group Centre, his score stood at 32 aerial victories.
Schleinhege was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 20 March 1944, and scored his 37th victory on 4 April. Upon completing officer training, the newly commissioned Leutnant Schleinhege was transferred to 4./JG 54 in Estonia, he claimed his 50th on 17 September. On 9 October, now based out of Riga, he shot down two Bell P-39 Airacobras and two Il-2 ground attack aircraft.

### Squadron leader

In August 1944, Schleinhege temporarily assumed command of 4. Staffel of JG 54 after its former commander. Hauptmann Franz Eisenach had been transferred. On 1 September, the Staffel was redesignated and became 7. Staffel of JG 54. Later that month, he command of 7. Staffel was given to Leutnant Gerhard Thyben. At the end of November 1944, he was promoted to Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of JG 54, remaining in this position until the end of World War II. By the end of the year, with his squadron based in Libau supporting the troops in the isolated Courland Pocket, his score had climbed to 81.
Schleinhege was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 28 January 1945, for 84 victories. He and his pilots covered the naval evacuation of the pocket. Based firstly from Libau until March, then from Heiligenbeil, near Königsberg, until the end of the war. His last flight was on 8 May 1945 when he squeezed his two mechanics into his (nominally) single-seater Fw 190 and flew to Kiel to surrender to the British troops.
Schleinhege survived the war, and in three years flew 484 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front and all with JG 54. He ended with 97 confirmed victories and a number more unconfirmed, including 54 Il-2 and Pe-2 bombers.

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Schleinhege was credited with 97 aerial victories. Obermaier also lists him with 97 aerial victories. Spick however lists him with 96 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions, all of which on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 94 aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 28734". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km$^2$). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.
Chronicle of aerial victories :
| This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Schleinhege did not receive credit.  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Balke, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 ||||||||||
| 1 | 9 August 1942 | 11:05 | R-5 | west of Chrenowaja | 4? | 26 August 1942 | — | Il-2 | |
| 2? | 14 August 1942 | — | Yak-1 | | ? | 7 January 1943 | 09:22 | LaGG-3 | |
| 3? | 26 August 1942 | — | I-16 | | | | | | |
| – 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — 4 February – March 1943 ||||||||||
| 5 | 11 February 1943 | 08:55 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 28734 40 km (25 mi) west-northwest of Ostashkov | 7 | 7 March 1943 | 09:23 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 18274 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Staraya Russa |
| 6 | 27 February 1943 | 12:33 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 18483 45 km (28 mi) west-southwest of Demyansk | | | | | |
| – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — June – 31 December 1943 ||||||||||
| 8 | 1 June 1943 | 04:56 | Yak-1 | PQ 36 Ost 10292 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Volkhov | 20 | 2 August 1943 | 13:03 | Il-2 | PQ 36 Ost 10183 east of Mga |
| 9 | 8 June 1943 | 16:04 | LaGG-3 | PQ 36 Ost 20181 southwest of Volkhov | 21 | 4 August 1943 | 06:33 | P-39 | PQ 36 Ost 10153 southeast of Shlisselburg |
| 10 | 18 June 1943 | 06:22 | Yak-1 | PQ 36 Ost 21851 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Volkhov | 22? | 19 August 1943 | — | Yak-1 | |
| 11 | 18 June 1943 | 06:27 | LaGG-3 | PQ 36 Ost 21761 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Volkhov | 23? | 19 August 1943 | — | Il-2 | |
| 12 | 23 June 1943 | 20:02 | LaGG-3 | PQ 36 Ost 11743 Lake Ladoga | 24 | 11 October 1943 | 09:10 | Yak-9 | PQ 35 Ost 06164 |
| 13 | 13 July 1943 | 11:44 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 54167 25 km (16 mi) south of Sukhinichi | 25 | 12 October 1943 | 13:36 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 15544 south of Lenin |
| 14 | 14 July 1943 | 14:07 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 54474 25 km (16 mi) west-northwest of Bolkhov | 26 | 12 October 1943 | 13:55 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 15574 northeast of Gorki |
| 15 | 17 July 1943 | 08:05 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 63567 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk | 27 | 14 October 1943 | 14:46 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 15553 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Gorki |
| 16 | 17 July 1943 | 13:08 | Yak-9 | PQ 35 Ost 54642 25 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Bolkhov | 28 | 17 October 1943 | 09:47 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06321 |
| —? | 18 July 1943 | 07:02 | LaGG-3 | | 29 | 5 November 1943 | 10:28 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 06182 |
| 17 | 18 July 1943 | 07:18 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64879 25 km (16 mi) south of Mtsensk | 30 | 5 November 1943 | 10:50 | Yak-9 | PQ 35 Ost 06321 |
| 18 | 31 July 1943 | 11:10 | Il-2 | PQ 36 Ost 10154 southeast of Shlisselburg | 31 | 30 November 1943 | 12:07 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 05461 |
| 19 | 2 August 1943 | 12:37 | Il-2 | PQ 36 Ost 10156 southeast of Shlisselburg | 32 | 30 November 1943 | 12:11 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 05481 |
| – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — 1 January – April 1944 ||||||||||
| 33 | 12 February 1944 | 14:47 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 06794 | — | 3 April 1944 | — | unknown | |
| 34 | 26 February 1944 | 15:58 | Il-2 | vicinity of Lake Peipus | — | 3 April 1944 | — | unknown | |
| — | 28 March 1944 | — | Pe-2 | | — | 3 April 1944 | — | unknown | |
| 35 | 3 April 1944 | 09:55 | LaGG-3 | PQ 25 Ost 88391 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Selo | 37 | 4 April 1944 | 17:52 | Yak-9 | west of Lake Peipus |
| 36 | 3 April 1944 | 12:15 | Il-2 | 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Selo | | | | | |
| – 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — August – November 1944 ||||||||||
| 38 | 16 August 1944 | 13:08 | Pe-2 | | 56 | 28 September 1944 | 11:40 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 47291 30 km (19 mi) south of Mālpils |
| 39 | 17 August 1944 | 12:04 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 79582 west of Lake Peipus | 57 | 28 September 1944 | 11:48 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 47236 south of Mālpils |
| 40 | 17 August 1944 | 12:14 | Yak-9 | | 58 | 30 September 1944 | 12:35 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 57144 25 km (16 mi) south-southeast of Mālpils |
| 41 | 23 August 1944 | 15:02 | Yak-9 | 20 km (12 mi) south of Dorpat | 59 | 9 October 1944 | 13:34 | P-39 | 30 km (19 mi) west-southwest of Telšiai |
| 42 | 23 August 1944 | 15:30 | Il-2 | west of Dorpat | 60 | 9 October 1944 | 15:45 | P-39 | PQ 25 Ost 17688 55 km (34 mi) east-southeast of Liepāja |
| 43 | 25 August 1944 | 17:15 | La-5 | 50 km (31 mi) north of Jēkabpils | 61 | 9 October 1944 | 16:05 | Il-2 | 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 44 | 5 September 1944 | 17:30 | Pe-2 | 50 km (31 mi) north of Jēkabpils | 62 | 9 October 1944 | 16:07 | Il-2 | 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 45 | 15 September 1944 | 11:56 | Il-2 | Gulf of Finland, north of Kunda | 63 | 10 October 1944 | 08:25 | Pe-2 | 30 km (19 mi) east-southeast of Palanga |
| 46 | 15 September 1944 | 11:57 | Il-2 | Gulf of Finland, north of Kunda | 64 | 14 October 1944 | 14:00+ | P-39 | 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Polanga |
| 47 | 15 September 1944 | 14:03 | Yak-9 | PQ 26 Ost 60315 northwest of Kunda | 65 | 16 October 1944 | 15:01 | Il-2 | 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 48 | 17 September 1944 | 09:25 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 68146 north of Walk | 66 | 16 October 1944 | 15:27 | Il-2 | 40 km (25 mi) east of Liepāja |
| 49 | 18 September 1944 | 18:14 | Yak-9 | 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Mālpils | 67 | 17 October 1944 | 13:22 | Il-2 | 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 50 | 18 September 1944 | 18:15 | Yak-9 | 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Mālpils | 68 | 17 October 1944 | 13:42 | Il-2 | 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 51 | 19 September 1944 | 15:31 | Il-2 | 55 km (34 mi) north of Dorpat | 69 | 27 October 1944 | 09:43 | Il-2 | 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Liepāja |
| 52 | 19 September 1944 | 15:32 | Il-2 | southeast of Paide | 70 | 27 October 1944 | 11:36 | Pe-2 | 20 km (12 mi) north of Polanga |
| 53 | 23 September 1944 | 12:38 | Yak-9 | south of Jēkabpils | 71 | 30 October 1944 | 12:12 | Pe-2 | |
| 54 | 24 September 1944 | 11:25 | La-5 | 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northwest of Valmiera | 72 | 19 November 1944 | 17:30 | Il-2 | 40 km (25 mi) east of Liepāja |
| 55 | 28 September 1944 | 11:39 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 47266 45 km (28 mi) east-southeast of Riga | | | | | |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 – Eastern Front — December 1944 – 8 May 1945 ||||||||||
| 73 | 14 December 1944 | 12:32 | Il-2 | | 86 | 29 January 1945 | 12:17 | Il-2 | Courland area |
| 74 | 15 December 1944 | 10:50+ | Pe-2 | | 87 | 29 January 1945 | 12:28 | Yak-3 | Courland area |
| 75 | 15 December 1944 | 10:58 | Pe-2 | | 88 | 6 February 1945 | 09:38 | Il-2 | Courland area |
| 76 | 21 December 1944 | 10:17 | Pe-2 | | 89 | 21 February 1945 | 12:23 | Il-2 | Cīrava |
| 77 | 22 December 1944 | 14:22 | Il-2 | | 90 | 21 February 1945 | 12:32 | Pe-2 | Cīrava |
| 78 | 23 December 1944 | 08:58 | Pe-2 | | 91 | 21 February 1945 | 12:52 | Pe-2 | Cīrava |
| — | 23 December 1944 | — | unknown | | 92 | 23 February 1945 | 16:05 | Pe-2 | Cīrava |
| 79 | 26 December 1944 | 12:28 | Il-2 | | 93 | 23 February 1945 | 16:06 | Pe-2 | Cīrava |
| 80 | 27 December 1944 | 12:58? | P-39 | | 94 | 17 March 1945 | 16:43 | Il-2 | Courland area |
| 81 | 29 December 1944 | 10:43? | Yak-3 | | 95 | 26 March 1945 | 08:47 | Il-2 | Courland area |
| 82 | 29 December 1944 | 13:00 | Il-2 | | 96 | 26 March 1945 | 09:20 | Il-2 | Courland area |
| 83 | 20 January 1945 | 10:53 | Il-2 | Courland area | 97 | 9 April 1945 | 15:20 | Pe-2 | Courland area |
| 84 | 26 January 1945 | 10:23 | Il-2 | Courland area | 98 | 9 April 1945 | 19:21 | Yak-3 | Courland area |
| 85 | 26 January 1945 | 13:24 | Il-2 | Courland area | | | | | |

### Awards

* Flugzeugführerabzeichen
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 11 October 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot
* German Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 as Oberfeldwebel in the Stab/Jagdgeschwader 54
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 January 1945 as Leutnant and pilot in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 54